Who Said Friends, Said Love
by Season Of Magic
Summary: Dawn and Paul knew each other the way mere acquaintances do. They see each other on their travels, and they know there is something there, but just what it could be? It's up to them to discover along the way.
1. Prologue

Dawn sighed as she stirred her hot chocolate. The crisp, autumn air flew in through the open window in the center. She was there waiting for her Pokémon to heal. The competition she took part in for the next ribbon had been brutal and the battle took a lot out of her Togekiss. Sipping the now stirred chocolate, she took a sip and stared out the window.

Winter would arrive soon and that will certainly slow down her team as they walk around Sinnoh. She hoped she could have time to go back home, as she missed her mother dearly. Another sip of her chocolate and she placed the cup down, sighing deeply.

"Another sigh like that and you'll blow down the entire center you klutz." A voice snapped her out her thoughts. Her cheeks reddened and she blamed it on the weather.

"Oh do be quiet, Paul."

The teenager walked over, placing his cup down. From the smell it was coffee, plain and strong.

_Like him_.

"This seat taken?"

Dawn shook her head. It was due to her array of thoughts going through her head, but Paul took it as a invitation and slid down the chair. He sat down and took the mug full of coffee into his hands.

"I didn't say you could sit there." She puffed her cheeks.

"You didn't say no either." He sipped the coffee and stared at her. "So I saw that battle of yours. Togekiss did good. Could have gone a different route with Sky Attack instead of the Air Slash, but you made it work."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. He had seen the match?

Curiosity got the better of her, and after taking a sip of her chocolate couldn't help but ask; "what did you think?"

"I just praised Togekiss, what else do you want?"

"Your overall thoughts. I do think Sky Attack would have been more effective as well, but the match was nearing the end so I went a safe route."

"A five percent increase in accuracy." Paul states. "So you went for accuracy rather than power."

"As one does when they think clearly. We're not all you." Dawn couldn't help but say.

Paul placed the cup down and crossed his arms.

"We all have our method of training and battle techniques."

"And where have yours gotten you?" Dawn can't help but retort.

"Winning battles, whereas yours..." he coughs. "I mean, it's not like you have a record or something."

Dawn wanted to throw her cup at him. "It's all a learning experience."

"Not much learning to do if you don't improve. I'd say today was a fluke but you trained hard didn't you?"

Was that a praise from the icy king himself?

Dawn smiled brightly. "I certainly did."

"And it paid off. Good enough for you."

That was a compliment alright. She'll take it!

"Thank you!" Dawn's smile didn't falter one bit.

Paul finished his coffee and took his cup, standing up. "If you need any tips, from a real trainer, you know where to find me."

Dawn tilted her head. She did not know where to find him. Paul was as elusive as ever.

Paul took off his Poketch and handed it over. "For serious inquiries or emergencies only." He stated.

Dawn placed down her cup. Taking his Poketch she was confused for a moment. She pressed hers to his, and soon they were registered friends in each other's systems. She handed it back to him. "Only serious things." She repeated, as if still in disbelief.

"Oh, don't give me that look." He sighed as he placed the device back on his wrist. "Fine, I'll accept two random ones a day."

Dawn smiled. "Great! You'll love pictures of my Buneary she's too adorable for words."

"I'm regretting this already." Paul said as he pressed his free hand to the chair.

"No take backs!" Dawn said, finishing her cup of chocolate and also standing up.

"As if I could by now either way." Paul would have rolled his eyes, if he did such a thing.

Whatever this was between them, it was interesting and he wanted to explore what it was and what it could potentially lead to.


	2. Things I Don't Want To Hear

You_ will tell me a million things I'd prefer not to hear~_

_**Who Said Friends Said Love**_

_**Season Of Magic**_

* * *

It took two days for Dawn to send a message to Paul. He wats right in the middle of training. Torterra stood firm, just as he had taught it. Waiting for a command for a move, when all of a sudden Paul's poketch buzzed.

No one really called or messaged, as he didn't have many contacts in the first place. When it light up with Dawn's name, who he had added as 'troublesome' he sighed and clicked on it to see what she could possibly want.

What he received made him snort. Right on his screen stood Piplup in some odd attire.

**'Either that is it's Halloween outfit or you're seriously pranking me.'** He replies back.

'_Random picture of the day! Hello.'_

'**Think greatly about the second one because I might just block you.' **He replied, knowing deep well he won't do such a thing.

'_No need to worry!' _Dawn quickly replied back.

**Did she have nothing else to do?** He couldn't help but wonder. He replied a mere **'tch**' and went back to training.

* * *

Paul did not receive any new messages until nighttime, when he was in the Pokémon Center, grabbing a bite to eat while his Pokémon healed. Torterra trained arduous and showed a lot of promise and improvement, just the way he wanted it to be. As Paul was sitting down with his sandwich and coffee...

Bitter like his soul.

His poketch buzzed.

He opened the app to see Dawn had sent him another image. This time of a cup of hot chocolate and what appeared to be a croissant. She too seemed to be in a Pokémon Center, and he was glad that she wasn't out there in the wilderness this late at night. He could withstand the harsh weather, but her? He didn't want that.

Maybe his coffee was bitter, but his soul was perhaps softening up.

'**Don't choke on the pastry now.'**

There was no salvation and hope for a jerk.

* * *

Paul laid wide awake.

It was midnight and he had woken up from a weird dream. It was rare for him to dream, as he usually went to sleep so exhausted his brain never had time to come up with idiocies. Yet this time he dreamt. He dreamt of a house and flowers. Bluebell, reminding him of Dawn's blue eyes.

With a sigh he smothered the pillow over his face. Because this couldn't be happening to him. These things should never happen. But here he is.

And it was beginning to frighten him.

* * *

It had taken Dawn two days to send Paul a message, but in those two days, a lot had happened. She was traveling with Brock and Ash, relying on the map on the poketch to get them to the next city. Those two days were weird. She was itching to send Paul a message to get their newfound... whatever-they-had going on _started_. Yet every time she tried she couldn't send a message.

She found a opening when she was trying out outfit ideas with Piplup, so she instantly shared it with Paul. Okay she sent them to Kenny and Zoe too.

They were still around a lush forest and signal was spotty at best. Hence why she went silent until she was finally back in a decent place with proper signal.

The Pokémon Center made her smile and she grabbed the hot chocolate and a pastry and sent it to Paul. She wanted to attach a '_wish you were here_' but she thought it was too sudden. So she didn't.

His response did make her choke on her pastry indeed. But he didn't need to know that.

* * *

The time was late, later than Dawn usually stayed awake, but she had sneezed three times in a row and that was not common. For her at least.

"Are you getting a cold?" Ash groggily asked.

They were all sharing a room. It was something they did when space was crowded, nothing unusual there.

A room with a bunk bed and a small twin. Ash and Brock shared the bunk, Ash being in the bottom as Brock had traveled with Ash enough to know he could easily roll over and injure himself if he took the upper one. Dawn had the small twin bed.

"I don't know?" Dawn replied back as she wiped her nose with a handkerchief. "Maybe."

"Sneezing three times means someone is talking about you." Brock replied from the upper bunk. He yawned and rolled back. "But since it's late, maybe it's actually thinking about you instead. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Dawn snuggled back under the covers. She wished she could have enough space to cuddle with Piplup but the water Pokémon was resting inside it's Pokeball. She would have to make up for it on the morning. Rolling over she closed her eyes. "I hope whatever it is, it's nothing but good things."

"I'm sure it is." Ash said.

Dawn smiled. "Yeah! No need to worry."


End file.
